Train signal lamp



` INVENTOR RNEY Dec. 1l, 1928.

Dec. ll, 1928. 1,695,258

F. D. SPEAR TRAIN S IGNAL LAI? Filed June 25,` 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. l1, 1928.

isesgzss lIUmfriiivfn? SPAR, or NEWIYOE, AssIGNoR'To ARMsenAa MANUrACTrR-ine COIPANY, OF Y., A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

TRAIN siertuinl LAMP,

"Application 'ined Junges,

My invention relates .particularly to lamps intended for`V railroad marker and.v classification work and is a partial continuation of'my application Ser. No. '159,583V tiled January o 7th, 1927.

One object ofmy invention is to provide a lamp whichcanbe used as a marker lamp or a classification lamp as occasion may require.

Another object is toprovide ka simple and reliable lamp which :can bereadily used for producing a Wide yariety ot signals.

Another object iste provide a compact and l inexpensive structure which can be used vfor alarger number ofcombinations than that of my former application.

It will be understood, of course, that a locomotive will carry twolamps, one on each side on the front eind'and Vmust have one lamp for eiachs-'ide 'of the rear end of the tender.

Under the pres-ent regulations it is necessary to carry at least three pairs of lamps on a locomotive for the necessary troi'it and rear signals. display all the necessary signals with only two pairs ofrlamps. The customary .colors are white, or clear, yellow, green and red. I have found avery simple nietlio'd'oi providing for the various required signals in asingle lamp.

In carrying out the invention mits preferred form the stationary vbase and light are mounted in any suitable manner. The body or casing has a number of colored lenses or outer glasses rotatable on the base Vand preferably removable. j A stationary blinder or cut-off prevents the light from shining from two sides ofthe lamp. Vthin. the casingare mounted two colored glasses adapted to be interposed between the lighty and the outer glasses. These innerglasses are preferably independently movable so that amaximum number of combinations ofl inner andouter glasses can be formed. Detailsfof one form will be seen inthe accompanying drawings which however areintended Vmerely as illustrative of the principles of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a side view of oneto'rm of lamp embodying my invention which will be assumed to bea right hand front lampen a locomotive. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View of the same showing the inner glasses arranged opposite each other so that the light can shine through" the one` at the left and the blinder cuts 0H' the light at the right.

F ig. 3 is a. plan View of the base oit the lamp My inventionSnia-kes it possible to Vthe base.

1927. Serial No. 201,395.

and the blinder, the body or casing being removed.

F ig. 4l is a View looking upward at the bottom of the casing, removed from the base.

Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are horizontal sections and plan views showing different combinations of the various outer and inner glasses and the blinder, for instanceV in the arrangement of Figl 'a yellow light would show at the left and in iront; in Fig. 6 a greenlight would show at tne left and a red light in front; in Fig. 7 a green light would show at the lett and in iront; and in Fig. 8 a red light would. show at the lett and a yellow light in iront. Other combinations maybeproduced by the use ot suitable combinations of coloredlglasses. l i

The supporting base ll0 may be of any suit` able design adapted to be mounted in. any suitable manner. i

Any suitable type of light mayv be Vemployed. VI have shown here an electric lamp bulb ll as typical of any usual oil, gas or electric lam The blinder`l2 may be of anysuitable character arranged to cut oil the light from two directions, for instance from the rear and `fromthe side toward the engine for front lamps. In a rear lamp the light is cut oil r in the direction in which the train '1s supposed to be moving and from the side toward the caboose, tender or rear car. Thisblindermay be mounted outside or inside the lamp as in my former application Ser.`N0.159,583 in which I havebroadly claimed the combination of rotatable casing with outer and inner glasses and the stationary blinder. In the instant case I-'claim specifically the construction having .the inner blinder which is more compact and easier to install.

The body or casing 14 may beef any suitable construction and is mounted to rotate on This casing has a number of lenses or glasses l5, 16, 17 and4 18 which may be of different colors for instance, white (or clear), yellow, red and green respectively.

Inside the casing are-mounted two colored glassesv or rondels 19 and 20 `which .may be of suitable colors such as yellow'and green respectively. These inner glasses are mounted betweenV the light and the outer glasses and are movable as will be understood hereafter 'so that their positions can be changed.

The base is provided with a flanged cuplike portion 21 'and a platform or ldisc 22 which supports an insulating member 23 'to which the lamp socket 2l is secured. A switch may be provided with an operator 25. rEhe binder l2 has a flange 26 supported on the platform 22. A ring 27 is spun over the odge of the cup 2l, the platform 22 and the flange 26. This ring has a flange 28 with a number of holes 29 for the spring pressed latch bolt 30 carried by the casing le. The latch bolt 30 has a knob or handle 8l for retracting it.

The lower edge of the casing 14 has a flange 32 adapted to yrotate on the edge of the base ring 27. lhe edge 27 has three notches 38 spaced to correspond with three lugs 3d on the casing. rl`he casing, however, has a fourth lug to serve an interlock when the other three lugs are registered with the three notches 33. The lugs 34 are located in such positions with respect to the latch bolt 8O that they are all interlocked with` some part of the ring 27 when the bolt 30 is in any one of the holes 29. The handle v3l serves to facilitate the rotation of the casing when the latch bolt is disengaged from the holes in the flange 28. i

rlhe glasses or rondels 19 and 20 are mount# ed in suitable frames which are pivoted in the casing and provided with external operating knobs 36 and 37 so that the glasses vcan be tilted about radial horizontal axes. For instance, glass 19 may be tilted from the full line position of lEig. 5 to the dotted line posi tion thus changing the color shown through the lens l5 from yellow to white (or clear). y

By then tilting the green glass 20 from the full line position of Fig. 5 to a position in line with lens l5 a green light will be shown. By rotating the casing and its lenses and tilting the inner glasses various color combinations of front (or rear) and side lights may be displayed.

' lt will thus be seen that `this lamp may be readily converted from a marker to a classi- 'fication lamp without the use of any tools or the substitution of any glasses except, such as are provided in the lamp. rlhe lamp may be rotated by hand to the desired position and the glasses i9 and 2O may be interposed or retracted by hand in the simplest manner.

lt should be understood that other color combinations may be substituted and other mechanical constructions made without departing from the spirit or scope of my inven-v tion, as sct forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A train signallamp comprising a Sup port, a rotatable body carried thereby and having lenses of four different colors, sta tional-y blinders for two sides and independently movable glasses inside the lamp body of colors corresponding to two of said lenses.

2. A train signallamp comprising a support, a rotatable body carried thereby and having colored lenses, ak stationary blinder inside the body of the lamp and two independent tilting glasses within the lamp.

8. A combination marker and classification lamp comprising a rotatable casing having four .outer glasses arranged around a source of light, said casing being rotatably mounted, stationary blinders arranged to obscure the light from two of said glasses and two separately movable inner tilting glasses adapted to be interposed between the light and the outer glasses. i

4. A lamp comprising a support, a casing rotatably and removably carried by said sup port, said casing having four glasses with at least three colors, tilting glasses of different colors adapted to be lined up with two of the other glasses, and stationary blinders in side the casing for two of the glasses.

5. A lamp comprising a support having a plurality of notches some of which are spaced uniformly circumferentially, and having re cesses spaced uniformly, a casing having lugs uniformly disposed some of which are adapt- `ed to register with said notches, a latch car ried by the casing and adapted to interlock with said recesses, outer lenses carried by said Y casing, two inner glasses movable into and out of line with said lenses, and blinders located within said glasses.

6. A signalling lamp comprising a stationary base having a flange,`a lamp socket base supported thereon, a blinder having a flange supported on the base flange, a ring embracing said base flangeand having a series of holes, a casing rotatably mounted on said ring, a latch pin carried by said casing adapted to enter any one of said holes, colored glasses carried by said casing and movable colored glasses carried by said casing and adapted to be interposed between said blinder and the other colored glasses carried by said casing.

7. In a train-signal lantern, a base carrying a source of light, a casing mounted to rotate thereon and having a number of lenses, two independently movable Vcolored glasses each having a pivot shaft mounted between adjacent lenses and a knob for operating each shaft and its glass independently of the other shaft and-glass.

8. A train-signal lantern having a station ary base, a casingrotatable thereon and having oppositely disposed clear and red lenses and oppositely disposed green and yellow lenses between the clear and red lenses, a green glass pivoted to swing between the green and clear lenses, and a yellow glass pivoted to swing between the yellow and clear lenses and a blinder for cutting oft the light from two sides of the casing.

FURMAN D. eraan, 

